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Instructor: Dr. Dynette Reynolds
Email:
Office Hours: before and after class, and by appointment (SS122)
Intro to Women & Gender Studies
WGS 1500 - CRN#12118
Summer 2016
Rm. SS229
TTH 5:30-6:45 + online
REQUIRED TEXTS
· Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives, Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey, 5th ed. (McGraw Hill, 2009) – may be purchased online at amazon.com or half.ebay.com. The Weber State Bookstore might have some on their shelves.
· additional readings on Canvas
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course is an introduction to the discipline of women's studies and gender theory, using historical, modern, and multicultural sources based on current scholarship. We will examine the diversity of women's experiences through history and across cultures, and how those experiences are shaped by social structures such as politics and economics. We will also analyze how gender is mediated by categories of race, class, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Finally, we will examine historical and present-day activism by different kinds of feminists.
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
· identify, compare, and evaluate the theoretical frameworks of feminism and gender studies.
· identify, compare, and evaluate cultural and historical constructs of gender.
· understand the social construction of gender and its effects, including gender roles, stereotypes, and origins.
· understand the intersectionality of gender, race, class, and sexual orientation.
· identify and describe contemporary social issues that surround gender constructs, including media stereotypes, masculinity, reproduction and health issues, sexuality, violence, and work/domesticity.
· recognize and articulate the rights, perspectives, and experiences of others different from oneself.
ASSIGNMENTS
§ Canvas Open-Book Quizzes – 100 pts = 10%
§ Short response papers (2-3 pages) - 5 x 100 pts = 50%
§ Online discussions – pass/fail - (8 x 40pts) = 32%
§ Participation and attendance (80 points) = 8%
§ Extra Credit events as announced
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE = 1000 points + extra credit
EXAMS : None.
GRADING RUBRIC
Student papers will be graded according to the following criteria:
Online discussions will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Unless otherwise indicated, your discussions must include the following:
· original post of at least three sentences
· response of at least two sentences
ATTENDANCE
Attendance will be taken. Regular attendance will help nudge your grade up at the end of the semester if you are close to a higher grade but not quite there.
EMERGENCY CLOSURE OR CANCELLATION OF CLASSES
If the university is required to cancel classes for any reason, a “Code Purple” announcement will be sent to your Weber email address. If the instructor is forced to cancel a class, an announcement will be posted as soon as possible on Canvas. Either way, please check on Canvas for further instructions. (We might have to conduct class using the Canvas Discussion option.) Students are advised to set their Canvas profile to forward all announcements to a device of their choosing.
PLAGIARISM
As per the Student Code, Section 4.D.2, plagiarism is “the unacknowledged (not cited) use of any other person’s or group’s ideas or work.” Cheating of any kind will result in a failing grade for the assignment OR for the entire course, and might also lead to university-wide disciplinary action. You are responsible for knowing how to properly cite sources, ideas, or quotes that are not your own.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with Disabilities, Rm. 181, Student Services Center. SSD can also arrange to provide materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary. Please refer to SSD’s website for more information: http://weber.edu/ssd.
IMPORTANT STUDENT SERVICES
As a student, you are eligible to receive free or reduced-cost medical care at the Student Health Center, Rm. 109, Student Services Building, phone: 626-6249. Their hours are M-F, 8am to 4pm. A student pharmacy is located in the same building. You are also eligible for free mental health counseling from the Weber State Counseling Center, phone: 626-6406. Another good resource for students is the local Planned Parenthood office, phone: 479-7721. Please be advised that emergency next-day contraception, also known as Plan B, is legally available without a prescription at Utah pharmacies to anyone over 18 with a photo ID. However, individual pharmacists are permitted to refuse you this medication if they so desire.
WGS 1500
Spring 2016 (CRN#34553)
Wed. 5:30-6:45pm, SS 229
**Any modifications to the syllabus or the schedule will be discussed in class and/or announced on Canvas.
WEEK / READING ASSIGNMENTS(due before class) / ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS
(due Sundays at midnight, unless otherwise indicated) / PAPERS
(due Sundays at midnight, unless otherwise indicated)
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May 10
May 12 / What Is Feminism? / Online Discussion 1:
Go to Canvas and click on “Discussion 1.” Post a three-sentence observation about one concept on the Vocab List, then comment on someone else’s post with at least two sentences.
Intro to Women’s Studies
· Ch. 1 (textbook) / Online Discussion 2:
Go to www.everydayfeminism.com and find one article you like. Post a brief, three-sentence reflection on that article, then respond to someone else’s post with at least two sentences.
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May 17
May 19 / History of Women’s Rights
From textbook ch. 1:
· “Declaration of Sentiments”
· “Ain’t I A Woman?”
· Thompson (cont)
From Canvas:
· “Total Woman”
· “Feminine Mystique” / Response Paper 1:
Using the assigned readings from last week, describe how past views of women’s roles and rights are different from your views today, and how the women’s rights movement has affected your own life. Give specific examples from the readings or from current events and/or your life, and be sure to include CITATIONS and a BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Social Construction of Gender
· Ch. 2 (textbook) / Online Discussion 3:
In one of your classes or work meetings, count the number of men and women in the room, then count the number of times men speak vs. women. Post your results online and include one or two sentences telling us why you think you got the results you got. Then comment on someone else’s results.
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May 24
May 26 / Feminist Theory & Patriarchy
From textbook ch. 2:
· Johnson
From Canvas:
· de Beauvoir
· Mainardi
· Lorde / Response Paper 2:
Think of a TV show or movie that provides a good example of patriarchy as an almost invisible system. Summarize the plot and the characters, then discuss how patriarchy functions in the show. In your analysis, use a relevant quote from at least one of the readings in ch. 2 and make sure you include citations and a bib for your sources(s).
Media Stereotypes
From Canvas:
· Mulvey
· Brumberg illustrations
· “Barbie Doll” (poem) / Online Discussion 4:
Post a three-sentence reflection on a particular aspect of the film (“Miss Representation”) OR on one of the readings for this week, then comment on someone else’s post.
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May 31
June 2 / Gendered Hierarchies
· Ch. 3 / Online Discussion 5:
Find a short – 15 minutes or less - video on the internet by a person who identifies as a minority in at least two categories – gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and post a link to the video on Canvas with a short one-or-two-sentence description. Then comment on one other video that has been posted.
Gender & Sexuality
· Ch. 4 / Response Paper 3:
Go to a department store or mall and find an example of “heteronormativity.” Describe what you found and then discuss how a differently gendered person might react when encountering that example. What problems might such a person have in that store? Alternately, you might find an example of non-heteronorm-ativity. Use at least one citation from the assigned readings and include a bib.
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June 7
June 9 / Masculinity
From Canvas:
· “Bros before Hos”
· “Boys and Their Toys” / Online Discussion 6:
Go to: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/questioning-masculinity-gmp/
Find an article about a topic (on masculinity) that interests you. Post a three-sentence reflection on that article, then respond to someone else’s post.
Reproduction
Ch. 5 / Response Paper 4:
Read “The Turbid Ebb and Flow of Misery,” by Margaret Sanger (on Canvas). Summarize the reading and respond by discussing how access to birth control might be viewed or experienced differently by women from different backgrounds, i.e., religion, class, race, nationality. (Include citations and bib.)
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June 14
June 16 / The Body
From textbook ch. 5:
· Kilbourne
From Canvas:
· Brumberg
· Ephron / Online Discussion 7:
Find a popular song (from the present or the past) that focuses on gendered bodies and/or body parts. Post the lyrics to that song and write at least three sentences describing how that song equates women (or men) to their bodies, then respond to someone else’s post.
Domestic Violence
· Ch. 6 / Response Paper 5:
Describe the kinds of things women have to do differently from men due to the threat of rape. Discuss how poverty, war, class, and culture/religion might exacerbate this problem. In your analysis, use at least one quote from any part of ch. 6 and make sure you include citations and a bib.
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June 21
June 23 / Home, Family, Work
· Ch. 7 / Online Discussion 8:
Visit one of these blogs for working women:
http://www.careercontessa.com/conversations/best-blogs-working-woman/home/
Find an article on working women that you like from one of these blogs, and summarize it in three sentences, then respond to someone else’s summary.
***DUE FRIDAY EVENING!***
Third Wave Feminism
From Canvas:
· Faludi, “Backlash”
· “Riot Grrrl Manifesto”
· Wu, “Gamergate” / No assignment. / No assignment.